Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV's), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV's), battery electric vehicles (BEV's), fuel cell vehicles and other known electrified vehicles differ from conventional motor vehicles in that they are powered by one or more electric machines (i.e., electric motors and/or generators) instead of or in addition to an internal combustion engine. High voltage current is typically supplied to the electric machines by one or more batteries that store electrical power.
Electric machines may incorporate synchronous motors having a stator that generally surrounds a rotor that includes interior permanent magnets. Each phase winding of the electric machine may be monitored by a current sensor that directly measures currents of the electric machine. These measured currents may then be utilized to detect inaccurate electric machine torque, such as to avoid unintended vehicle motion. However, current sensors add cost and weight and can be prone to sensor failure. Additional advancements in this field of technology are therefore desirable.